The Power Of Love: A Tom Riddle's Story
by Colourful Shades
Summary: 'Some say that love is the greatest power in the whole world. Love can defeat each and every evil ever known to exist. A little bit of tender love and care can change the world.' A oneshot on my take of the story of Tom Riddle and how he became Dark Lord. TR/OC.


**A/N: We were assigned in our school a short story on the power of love a year ago. I wrote this piece for that assignment. It was stored in my PC for quite a long time, and I just thought to post it here on before deleting it. **

**Enjoy!**

_**The Power of Love**_

_**The Tom Riddle's Story.**_

_**(Harry Potter Fan fiction)**_

Some say that love is the greatest power in the whole world. Love can defeat each and every evil ever known to exist. A little bit of tender love and care can change the world. But these words just look pretty in books, not in real world.

And he learnt it the hard way.

Tom Riddle was an orphan. Growing in orphanage was as good as growing up in jail. It was like a jungle. There is a predator and prey. The predator attack at the first sign of fear, again and again, until it destroys you. He was the prey most of my life, the target for their taunts, insults and punches. But he never fought back, he was a good boy. He always thought there will come a time when the god will be merciful, when he will be loved, he will be cared.

But the harsh reality was there was no god, there was no one who cared.

And he became the firm believer of this fact.

Until Rose Hayden entered his life.

He was five years old when she first came in orphanage. She was of his age, shy and sad. She barely talked to anyone, and mostly kept to herself. She was mysterious, she was intriguing.

But she was nothing for Tom. She didn't bring any change in Tom's life.

His life continued. The same people bullied him; the same people will be punished by him.

Life was the same.

But not for long.

(Tom is Seven Years Old)

It was another winter day. The kids were still living their dull, monotonous lives. But the other kids moods soon changed when they saw a puppy in Rose's hands. There was a huge crowd around her. Everyone was admiring her pet. There were choruses of "oooh"s and "aahh"s from the crowd. Tom wanted to see the animal too, but as soon as he reached the crowd, the bullies pushed him away. Rejected, he sat in another corner of the crowd. He was still staring glumly at the crowd, listing the names mentally who would be specially attended by him later, the name Rose Hayden on top of them. He saw a pair of green eyes staring at him, and he stared back curiously. It was Rose, the owner of the puppy who was staring at him. He will teach her a lesson for keeping her pet away from him, he surely will.

Later that evening, when he was returning to his room, he heard someone calling him. He turned around to find Rose calling him in her room. Curiously, he went inside.

"Come in, Tom."  
"What do you want?"

She was sitting on her bed, her pet snuggled on her lap. She smiled and motioned him to sit on her bed. Glaring, he sat down.

"I saw you this afternoon in the ground. That was pretty bad of them."

"Bad of who?"

"Those big boys who pushed you. I know you wanted to see him, but they didn't let you."

"You saw?"

She nodded.

"That's why I called you. Here." She brought the puppy close to him. "I thought you might want to hold him."  
"You are not scared of me." He asked, but took hold of the dog. It was cute, and soft. He liked the feeling.

"A bit. But I observed you only hurt those who hurt you. And I believe I've never hurt you, so you won't hurt me." Tom gulped, guiltily thinking that he wanted to hurt her very much this afternoon.

Rose was staring at her pet. "What do you think I should name him?" she asked him.

"I don't know, he is yours so you name him." He replied awkwardly. No one has asked him about his opinion.

"Still, any suggestions."

Tom looked at the girl in awe. Here she was, having a normal conversation with him, knowing very well that he was very cruel.

"Umm…Bruno?"

"Bruno? Hmm…it kind of suits him, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"Bruno it is, then." She petted her pet.

From that day, Tom and Rose became friends. The kids in orphanage were shocked. Some thought Tom is forcing her to become his fiend, he was evil like that. Some thought she is as evil as Tom. Some even cornered Rose and ordered her not to spend time with Tom, as it was too dangerous. But all the advice fell to deaf ears.

Tom, meanwhile, had become the same isolated person he was. He made no indication of liking anyone except Rose, let alone befriend anyone. He didn't bother anyone now, until they left him alone. Rose knew it all, about his freaky incidents, about his ability to talk to snakes. She even met his pet snakes, who resided in a hole few yards away from the orphanage. But she didn't run away screaming as Tom expected her to. She was brave, and intelligent. And Tom respected her for that.

(Tom and Rose are Eight years old)

Tom always got anything he liked, he made sure of that. And whenever he got hold of anything precious, it became 'his'. And Tom was very; very possessive of the things which belonged to him, not to mention he took care of them too. Rose also became 'his', and he was possessive of her. Naturally, he became angry when he saw her crying.

It was Billy Scrubs fault. He wanted Rose to be his friend, and Rose constantly ignored him. He was angry at Rose for choosing Tom over other kids at orphanage, and so he decided to take matters in his own hands.

Bruno was precious to Rose. She practically treated him as her own child (Tom teased her lot about it). Bruno went missing one day, and it was December. Tom and Rose both searched for him and Mrs. Cope helped them too. But Bruno was nowhere to be found. Tired, and feeling like complete failures, Tom and Rose returned orphanage that evening. Rose was crying badly, and tom was trying to console her. That's when he saw Billy Scrubs, laughing along his friend. He spied on them, and in couple of days he found out Billy left Bruno out in the snow covered roads.

Tom was beyond angry. How dare he? He made Rose cry, he tried to hurt someone that was 'his'. He will pay.

That weekend, Billy's precious pet, his dear rabbit, was found hanging from the broom closet. Billy blamed him for it, but he had no proof against Tom (Just like Tom didn't have proof against Billy). Billy was crying the whole week, and Tom was really happy.

Rose knew, and she was angry with him. He told her everything, explained her Billy was evil and he deserved it. But Rose gave him silent treatment. Guaranteed she forgave him within a week, but the week was difficult for Tom. Still, Tom was not sorry, and he was sure he will do it again in a heartbeat.

(Tom and Rose are Nine Years Old)

Tom and Rose were in playground. They were let out of school quite early, and both had no intention of going back early to orphanage. School was simple, a child's play. Tom and Rose both were intelligent for their age. Tom did it without making any effort, but Rose really worked hard for getting excellent grades. When Tom asked her about it, then she'd get a dark look in her eyes, but she'd never tell him anything. Tom didn't force her, but his patience was wearing thin.

Rose was swinging on the swing, whereas Tom was sitting on sea-saw, watching her. Rose was going higher and higher with each swing.

"Rose, you should slow down." Tom asked her, getting worried.

"But it is fun, you should try it too." And she let out a scream, swinging even higher.

"Rose, it's getting dangerous, stop please." Tom got to his feet, watching her anxiously.

"Nope." And she giggled.

"Rose…"

And at that precise moment Rose let out a loud scream. The swing went really high, and Rose's grip on the iron handle slipped. She literally flew and was heading to crash straight at the hard ground. Tom opened his mouth to scream, but his scream died in his throat. As soon as Rose was five feet above the ground, she stopped. Just stopped.

_What on earth…_

She slowly fell down, and landed softly on ground. For a moment Tom was frozen, but soon got to his senses and helped her stand up. He stared at Rose who currently had just as wide eyes as him. She finally spoke.

"Did you do it?"

"No. I panicked."

And she started crying.

"I did it, oh god did it…" she was sobbing and hiccuping. Tom made her sit down on a bench and offered her water.

"What…what happened?" he asked her.

She finally stopped crying. She looked at him with red face and puffy eyes.

"Did you know how I came to orphanage?" she asked.

Tom shook his head in a negative manner.

"My parents left me. They said I was unworthy of their love, said I am weak. I am a squib."

"What's a squib?"

"One who has wizards as parents but cannot do magic."

Tom was stunned. Magic? Wizard? Squib? What?

"What are you…"  
"Did you ever thought why you can do those special things which others can't? Why you have those freaky powers? I knew from the moment I heard about you. How you can make things happen?"

"What…"  
"You are a wizard Tom. A wizard who can do magic. You have powers, and you can do magic. You can make things happen, and you will learn more about it when you turn eleven."

"Why eleven?"

"Because at that age wizards begin their magical education. They are contacted by schools. Britain has Hogwarts, it's where magic is thought to British witches and wizards."

"How do you know about it?"

"My parents were wizards. After I was born, I didn't show the sign of having magical powers. By the time I turned five, they were convinced I am a squib. They left me here. Apparently, I was a disgrace to them. They were already muggleborn, and it would do them no good to have a squib daughter."

Tom was stunned. There were lots of questions in his mind. And the rest of the day, Rose told Tom about the wizarding world.

The wizarding world sounded fabulous. There was magic which can make impossible things possible, potions which can cure most dangerous of diseases and products that would make scientific technology a toddler's toy. Their lifestyle was different, their pet animals were different, their means of communications were different, their monetary transactions were different and even their sports were different. There was discrimination in their society, but overall it lead to only one conclusion- only those got respect who either have purest of blood running through their veins, or has the most powerful magic at their command. The wizarding world sounded enchanting.

The only unpleasant thing Tom heard about in the whole day was Rose's biological parents. They were so selfish. They left their own daughter t maintain their reputation.

That was the day the seeds of hatred for muggleborns was planted inside Tom's heart.

(Tom and Rose are now Ten years old)

Within a year, Rose has travelled a long road with respect to her magical capabilities. After that day in park, Rose was able to do magic frequently. Tom helped her as much as he can, and under his guidance Rose became as good as Tom in magic. Now, she was able to levitate things, burn things, control things and even transfer the forms of small objects. She even once appeared out of thin air in front of Tom.

A big credit of all the progress went to the book Rose managed to smuggle from her own house while she was leaving. _'Learning wandless Magic- Book one' _became one of their best friend. They weren't able to understand everything, as everything was explained with reference to process of magic done with a wand, but they surely progressed.

One thing Rose failed to learn was the ability to talk to snakes. Tom tried very hard to teach her, but she was just unable to do it. In the end, she just gave up.

By now, the whole orphanage knew Rose was as freaky as Tom. Some kids had got special demonstration of Rose's ability personally by herself. She once managed to burn hands of one bully by magic, and from then she was as addicted as Tom to the rush of power, the feeling of magic, the adrenaline in veins and the ability to control. Tom had never been much happier.

But the kids in the orphanage were not happy. They were scared and angry with the duo, and made promise with themselves to give them as hard time as possible. The leaders of this group were Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop. They not only dared to taunt them, but also destroy their possessions. In return, Tom stole their most precious items. It made the group quiet. But the leaders were stubborn. And Tom just knew how to get them on track.

It was the time of summer outing, and everyone were going to the beach. A few days ago, Rose was able to find out that Amy was scared of darkness, and Dennis literally wets himself at the sight of snake. They had the perfect plan, now all they needed were Amy and Dennis.

Rose carefully manipulated Amy and Dennis to follow him to a cave a kilometer away from the beach. Tom was already there, making preparations for the plan. As soon as Amy and Dennis got inside the cave, both Tom and Rose with their full concentration levitated a rock and covered the entry of the cave. Tom hissed in the snake language and called all the snakes in vicinity and ordered them to enter the cave and wander around the two kids, but not to bite them. (The fault would come on Rose as everyone saw them leaving together). Both kids were trapped inside the cave for an hour or two, and when they came out…let's just say they were never the same.

That was the first time Tom and Rose managed to scare someone witless with the help of their magic.

(Tom and Rose are now eleven years old.)

It was time. Dumbledore has just left. They were accepted for Hogwarts. Rose cried the whole day; it was that much unbelievable for her.

"I never thought…I was so scared…"

"It's okay. This will show your parents what they are missing. You will prove yourself."

"We will prove ourselves, our parents were idiots to leave us."

Diagon Alley was something out of a dream. A very creative, imaginative but beautiful dream. It was nothing Tom had ever experienced. Among the shouts of vendors on discount on Dragon's scales, spider's venoms and Snake's fangs; among the bright and sparkling posters of new book releases _'The Autobiography Of Wendolyn The Weird', 'Travels with Trolls', 'The greatest Quidditch players of the century'_; among the weird looking pets in the pet shops ranging from Toads to Owls; Tom felt like he finally belonged somewhere; From the brightness in Rose's face, it was clear she was thinking along the same lines.

They spent the whole day travelling from shops to shops in Diagon alley. The first thing they brought was their wand. It took Tom an hour to find his perfect wand- a phoenix core wand. And it took even more time to find a wand for Rose- a dragon scale core wand. They brought the books, the cauldron and scales along with potion making kit, uniform, gloves and protective glasses. Majority of their stuff were second handed, but in the end they managed to save money for later. Both didn't buy a pet, although Rose was eyeing a white cat in the pet shop.

In the end of the day, both were satisfied with their shopping and a bit overwhelmed with their experience. Rose took a big marker pen and covered the date of first September on the calendar. Both were waiting to get to Hogwarts, wondering it would be better than Diagon alley or not.

Needless to say, Hogwarts didn't disappoint them. The train ride was mostly quiet. They made acquaintance with few first years, and got to know about the four houses- Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Rose thought she'd be sorted in Ravenclaw, whereas Tom was sure he will be in Slytherin.

"But why Slytherin?" Rose was looking at Tom with curious gaze.

"I don't know. Just a gut feeling."

And Tom was right. He was sorted to Slytherin as soon as that old, mouldy but fascinating hat touched his head. Rose was also in Slytherin because according to the hat, she was sly-er than smart. And she was happy to follow Tom.

Their housemates were not as friendly to them as they expected. On further research they found out it was because of their names. Riddle and Hayden was not pure-blood names. They didn't have pure blood. But they had power, and they used it to their full advantage. Tom and Rose were constantly at the top of their class, the first one to learn any spell and the highest grade scorers in whole class. Needless to say, even before the Christmas break, majority of teachers and students were wrapped around their fingers. There were few pure bloods like Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson who looked at them with inferior eyes. Dumbledore was the only teacher who was not completely smitten by them.

"But you cannot impress them all, right?" Rose said, when they were discussing the same topic.

"Yes, but I will never forgive myself for letting my mask slip in front of Dumbledore on the first day." Tom said, scribbling on his parchment.

"We will charm him too, just give it time."

That Christmas, when all of their dorm mates were celebrating with their families, Rose and Tom were combing the Hogwarts library. During one of these days, Tom will find out the ultimate key for their control over Slytherin.

"What is it Tom." Rose said, yawning.

"Will you at least pretend to be excited for me."

"Fine. What is it?" Rose asked, with fake excitement in her voice.

"Here read it." Tom handled her a book, which she started reading. The further she read, the wider her eyes got.

"Parseltongue!" she exclaimed.

"Yes. And only heir of Slytherin possesses this ability. That's why you weren't able to do it." Tom replied excitedly.

"Do you know what it means, Tom?"

"Yes. Now I just need to flaunt my ability in front of our fellow Slytherins."

And so he did. And they got the most respect from their house. Even the seventh years were respecting them, especially Tom. This secret was kept away from the other houses and teachers, but the fame and respect Tom and Rose enjoyed only increased their ego.

The rest of the year went without any new revelations. Soon, they were giving their annual exams, accepting the house cup, enjoying the leaving feast and boarding the Hogwarts express.

(Tom and Rose are now twelve)

For the summer, the duo had to return to orphanage. The kids over there were still afraid of them, and kept their distance from them. But even the muggles were observant, and they observed no freaky incidents occurring. Some brave and older kids started bullying them. But the problem was, Tom and Rose cannot do anything. The ministry had placed magic detecting wards around the orphanage, and they were forbidden to do magic outside the school.

Tom still managed to scare the kids with his snakes, but it was Rose who had to face most of the problems. Hence, both of them were very glad when first September rolled around.

Second year at Hogwarts was as mesmerizing as the first year. It was a relief to use magic after two months. They got to learn lots of new charms spells, new methods in transfiguration, new potions and new defensive spells. It was surprising for Tom when Rose started to score more grades than him, and by Christmas, she was the top witch of their year. Many expected Tom to lash out on her (the girls of Slytherin and Ravenclaw were praying to god to make it happen) but Tom was quiet happy to have a competition.

They managed to make new friends. (Well, Rose considered them as friends. They were mere acquaintance for Tom) She received loads of expensive Christmas presents from the students. One of these presents consisted 'Hogwarts: A History'. A very boring but educational book consisting all facts about Hogwarts. From this book itself, Tom found out his obsession for next few years.

"The chamber of secrets!"

Rose and Tom were currently in Tom's Dorm room, their meeting place. (The boys cannot enter Girl's dorm rooms) She had just shown him the article related to Slytherin's secret chamber.

"Shhh… Yes Tom and it belongs to heir of Slytherin, which means you." Rose replied, literally bouncing with excitement.

"But it could be just a myth; I mean no one has ever found any proof about its existence." Tom replied, his gaze fixed on the book in front of him.

"Yes, but I have a theory." Rose replied, closing the thick book with a snap.

"And what it might be, oh great one."

"What was Slytherin line's…let's say…_'Special Feature'_?"

"'_Special Feature'_" Tom started laughing, receiving glares from his dorm mates.

"Will you be quiet and answer my question?" Rose shrieked, glaring at Tom's dorm mates which forced them out of the room.

"Fine. Special feature…Parseltongue?"

"Exactly. Other witches and wizards cannot speak Parseltongue; even they are as powerful as Merlin himself. I think the key for opening Chamber of Secrets is speaking something in Parseltongue."

"Okay…and what about the horror within?"

"Come on, Tom. You are not that dumb. Figure it out." Rose teased him.

"Hey, don't call me dumb."

"Well, you are behaving like one."

"Rose, just answer the damn question."

"Okay, okay. I think it must be some kind of snake, as everything is related to snakes somehow. And that's the only way _'only heir of Slytherin can control the horror within'_" she said, quoting the words from the book.

"Hmm…your theory makes sense. But the most important question: Where is the entry to the Chamber of secrets?"

"What do you think I am; a seer? I don't have answers to every question. We need to search every nook and corner of the castle."

And for coming years, they would search each and every corner of the castle, looking for any sign of the Chamber of Secrets.

That February, a group of aurors were supposed to come at Hogwarts for training the students duelling. The classes were available to all students of all grades. Tom and Rose both were excited about the duelling club, and were ready to test several spells they learnt from the library.

When the day to the duelling club came, Tom and Rose were one of the first ones to reach the duelling club. The club was supposed to take place in the great hall. Both first, second and third years were present there.

Tom saw the aurors enter one by one. As the third and last auror entered the great hall, Rose went still. Tom looked at Rose with concerned gaze, but she was staring at the auror, her face as white as ghost.

"You okay?" he whispered.

She merely shrugged.

The rest of the lecture, she kept her head down, barely practicing any spells. Whenever the third auror passed them, she hid behind Tom. Once the auror saw her, and his eyes widened barely for a second. But he composed himself soon.

As soon as the club ended, she ran away from the hall.

Tom didn't saw her for the rest of the day. He asked Parkinson and Black, who said she was at the third floor girl's bathroom, crying her eyes out. Both girls had the guts to ask him whether they had a fall out, to which Tom simply game them one of his deathly glares.

By midnight, when Rose didn't returned back to Slytherin common room, Tom sneaked out for the third floor's girl's bathroom. There, he found her sitting in a corner and sobbing.

"I am already having a bad day. Go away, before I hex you badly, and I will." She said, with her back to him.

"You need to work on your threatening voice." Tom replied.

"Tom, it's you." She wiped her eyes. "Sorry about it."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."  
"Rose, I hate when people lie to me."

"And I hate when you command me to do something."

"Rose, please…"

"He is my father."

"What!"

"That man, John Hayden, is my father."

"That mudblood who left you saying you are a squib?"

"How many fathers you think I have?" she hissed.

"Oh…sorry? It's just…surprising."

"For me it's nightmare."

"What do you want me to do?"

"You cannot do anything Tom. That…that man saw me. If he finds out I am a witch and his daughter, he will try to get me back. He will.."  
"He won't dare." Tom replied.

"And what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. But I will make sure he doesn't get his hands on you."

The next time there was a duelling club, Rose didn't attended it. She made sure of not coming in front of her father. He didn't attempt to do anything, and Rose thought maybe he didn't recognize her.

After few weeks, and he was out of her mind.

Exams were just like last year, a child's play. There was just one difference; Rose got top grades rather than Tom. Teachers congratulated her, Slughorn being the loudest of them all.

"The toppers of this year, both Slytherin. Two of the best students Hogwarts has ever seen." Slughorn let out a full laugh (He reminded Rose of those Muggle movie Villains)

The expression on Dumbledore's face was forever etched in Tom's mind. He never got as much pleasure while seeing Dumbledore.

Slytherin won the Quidditch as well as the house cup that year.

Soon, their luggage were packed, their bellies were full of the leaving feast and they were seated in Hogwarts express returning back to Muggle London.

(Tom and Rose are now Thirteen years old)

Tom and Rose were invited to the Black's house that Summer. Walburga Black was completely smitten with Tom, and so was her mother. Tom and Rose were both enjoying their stay in the Black manor, and it was the first time they were experiencing full magical house, without any touch of muggles. Both were impressed.

It was Mrs. Black that informed Tom and Rose about the functioning of the trace. Apparently, the ministry does not keep tabs on the magic done by students, but rather the magic done around them. As Tom and Rose were only magical beings in the orphanage, the trace was able to catch them. But here in Black Manor, there were lots of grown up witches and wizards, and the ministry will have no proof about the magic done by underage wizards.

That summer, Mr. and Mrs. Black taught them the basics of pureblood society and dark arts. Tom was fascinated, whereas Rose was repulsed by it. That led to the first fight between them.

As soon as third year begun, Tom and Rose both got invitations from Slughorn for the slug club. Slughorn was literally begging them to come to the parties organised by him. That was also the year Rose had her first duel in the duelling club (as the aurors were not attending it), and she defeated a sixth year Gryffindor, earning herself even more respect and fame from her house mates. Tom was even prouder of her.

They spent the rest of the year searching for the Chamber of secret. They combed the whole castle, but there was no clue of the entrance. Instead, they found loads of new secret passages and hiding places. Frustrated and angry, Tom did the silliest thing; he tried to summon the entrance.

"How on earth did you got the idea of Accio-ing the entrance."

"It was worth a shot." He mumbled.

"Seriously, sometimes I doubt you have a double personality disorder."

"What a muggle thing to say."

"Oh shut up."

For weeks, Rose kept teasing him about his foolishness, ad Tom turned grumpier and grumpier.

Both started chatting with the ghosts of Hogwarts. They didn't have any idea of the chamber of secrets, but they found out something else.

"The Room of Requirement!" Tom and Rose exclaimed together.

"Yes." The Bloody Baron replied, looking amused at the behavior of two typical Slytherins.

"Where is it?" Tom asked.

"How do we open it?" Rose asked.

The Bloody Baron explained them everything. And right now, the duo was standing in front of a wall on the seventh floor.

"I will go first." Tom announced, and started pacing along the corridor.

Soon, a door appeared in front of Rose, and she quickly opened it, to reveal a massive library.

"Library, Tom." Rose looked at her partner in crime.

"Couldn't think of anything else." He replied, shrugging.

"Okay, my turn. I need..."  
"No need to announce it loudly."

"Fine." And soon the room became empty.

"What did you ordered." Tom asked, confused.

"A place to practice spells." Rose shrugged.  
"Great. We can practice dark arts here."  
Rose made a face. "No, we won't."  
"Why not?"  
"I hate dark arts, Tom. It creeps me out."  
"But…"  
"Please…"

"Fine."  
For next few weeks, both of them came here to practice new charms and DADA spells. Tom kept his promise, and didn't even mention Dark Arts.

Needless to say, both became even better in magic than they were before.

The year ended with a positive note. Tom and Rose tied for the first place in annual grading (making Slughorn even pleased), Slytherin won the house cup (Again!) and the Room of Requirement had improved their magical power to a whole new level. Even though they were returning back to the orphanage, they were not as sad as the used to be two years ago.

(Tom and Rose are now Fourteen years old)

That summer, Tom and Rose mostly spent in the wizarding world. In the past three years, both had saved enough so that they can afford outdoor meals. So, they returned orphanage only for bedtime, and left it as early as possible. They even spent summer with some fellow Slytherins, like Anastasia Malfoy, Walburga Black, and Duella Greengrass. Each and every house thought them something new about the wizarding world. Tom and Rose even learnt to play Quidditch with Orion Black, Walburga's younger brother. That summer ended quite quickly for them, and both were glad for it.

Fourth year was spent in the same manner as the third year. They searched for the chamber of secrets, learnt new magic in class and practiced new spells in the Room of Requirement. In short, the year went quite uneventful. They didn't gain any sort of success in the search of chamber of secrets. The only thing exciting happened was that Rose became the keeper in Quidditch team for Slytherin, as the old keeper completed his education. It was quite scandalous, a girl playing Quidditch. But Rose being Rose, didn't backed out and managed to set a new trend. The Slytherins won the Quidditch cup that year, inspite of other house believes as Rose was a female player. ("Idiots" Rose said)

(Tom and Rose are now fifteen)

That summer, Rose gave Tom first present form herself.

"Here." Rose handled Tom a leather bounded dairy.

"What is this?" Tom asked.

"Remember how I doubt you have a double personality disorder. Well, psychologists say writing down your feelings helps mental stability. So I decided to give you this dairy, to writ down your twisted plans. At least, it will avoid you becoming some sick and dangerous villain for few months." She said with a smirk.

"In short, this is a gift." Tom said, smiling.

"Maybe."

Also, the summer came with a good news and a bad news.

The good news was that Rose won a daily prophet quiz about the history of goblin war on account of 500th anniversary of the war between goblins and wizards. The five hundred galleons were transferred in Gringotts in their joint account.

"At least we will manage to have a decent apartment after we come of age." Rose said, while exiting the bank.

The bad news was that her parents saw the article and picture in Daily Prophet. They sent her a letter, wanting to meet her, but she rudely declined meeting them. She didn't wanted her fellow Slytherins to know her parents were mudbloods (everyone believed her parents were purebloods and dead. She never corrected them) both parents were stubborn, and sent lots of letters. Luckily, first of September came before they can take any drastic action, and both were safely in Hogwarts.

Tom and Rose were Slytherin prefects, as predicted by whole house. Minerva McGonagall was the head girl, and it looked like she took some sort of oath to make Slytherin prefect's time hell.

"She will be so sorry, soon." Tom said casually.

The first two months passed in the same manner as the last year, except they had prefect duties this year too. The professors were pressurising them for their OWLs, but both thought the portion was not harder than last year.

Minerva McGonagall was sorry soon. Tom took revenge on behalf of them both. She was pushed into the vanishing cabinet on the fifth floor, and came out after a month. She blamed them, but she neither had any proof nor any memory (Tom made sure she didn't saw him) It cost her her head girl badge, and the new head girl was a Slytherin. (Slughorn was on seventh sky, and Dumbledore was pissed.)

The days passed by completing the lengthy assignments and doing prefect duties. However, everything changed when November rolled around.

Tom was with Professor Slughorn, helping him making new potions. Rose didn't have anything to do, so she decided a trip to Room of Requirements. She stepped into the empty room, and asked the room for new books related to charms. They appeared.

Then it struck her, _if the room gives us everything we ask for…_

"I want a map detailing the path to the chamber of secrets created by Salazar Slytherin."

For minutes nothing happened. Then, a scroll appeared in front of her. The scroll was coloured in green, and was made up of cloth, instead of parchment.

She opened it, to find a detailed map of Hogwarts. There, on third floor, was a cross marked. Rose decided to follow the path. There were many new short cuts mentioned in the map, along with secret passageways. When she reached the destined place, she found herself in front of girl's bathroom.

_That's weird. The chamber of secret in Girl's toilet._

She searched the whole room, but found nothing. After an hour of searching, she was drenched in sweat. With the intention of washing her face, she opened a tap to find that it was not working. She opened the next tap, and it was working.

_That's weird…_

She searched the tap, looking for anything weird. And then she found it, a small carved snake on the tap. She tried tapping it with wand, ordered it to open, even hit t with her hands (it hurt a lot later) but it didn't opened. The only answer she came up to was it opened it with Parseltongue.

Tom was irritated and angry. Slughorn made him brew five potions. HE was sticky and sweaty. He was heading back to the common room, when Rose suddenly jumped out of thin air and started dragging him.

"Rose, what the hell are you doing?" he hissed.

"Keep quiet and follow me."

_This better be important._

She brought him to girls bathroom.

"What.."  
"The chamber of secrets. Its here." She replied, looking pleased with herself.

"What? How do you know"

"Look at this."

Tom looked at the tap closely. There was a small snake inscribed on it.

"Hiss something in Parseltongue." She said.

Tom was about to open his mouth when someone interrupted them.

"What are you two doing here?" it was Minerva McGonagall, glaring at them.

"None of your business." Rose replied, and both walked out of there.

Tom was looking at the map Rose found out from the Room of Requirement. They were both in the empty common room, and it was the middle of the night.

"It even has secret passages leading out of castle." Tom said.

"I know. Isn't it great." Rose said, looking extremely smug.

"The Room of Requirement just gave it to you." Tom asked.

"Yes."

"I don't know what to say Rose..."

"I am brilliant." Rose prompted.

"Yes you are." Tom said, chuckling.

"Now all we got to find is _the horror within._" Tom said, after few minutes.

"Yeah…about that…it would be better if I don't come down with you." Rose said.

"What? Why?"

"There is a monster inside Tom. It can hurt me." She said.

"I will order it not to." Tom said.

"But my parents were mudbloods, it can definitely hurt me." She said.

"But it will come out, then what will you do? It's better if you get acquainted with it." He said.

Rose was now as still as a statue.

"Rose…you okay?"

"W-what do you mean it will come out?" she asked, looking on the verge of panic attack.

"I will release it, so it can complete Salazar Slytherin's noble work. It will eradicate Hogwarts out of all the mudbloods." Tom replied. "That's why we searched the chamber, right?"

"Are you mad!" Rose was now red at face, "You will get caught. You can go to Azkaban. There's no need to release it, Tom. Forget about the chamber."

"What do you mean forget about the chamber? Why did you even suggested in the first place?"  
"Why did I…oh isn't it obvious. I wanted to give you something that will relate you to your family. I didn't mean…oh god Tom, how can you even think of murdering people?"

"I am not going to murder people, I am going to complete Slytherin's noble work." He said.

"NO, you want to feel powerful. You want to feel the rush of power again. Don't do this, Tom. Please."

"Why are you against it? Mudbloods are a horror for our society. Look at your parents. They are not less than monsters."

"Right now you are behaving like a monster. Tom please…"  
"No. I will do as I please. I gave up dark arts for you, but I am not going to give up this. Deal with it."

With that, Tom left for his dorm room, leaving a horrified Rose behind.

Both of them didn't talk to each other for many weeks. On Christmas, the first mudblood was petrified. Within one months, there were five petrified students in the hospital wing. Tom looked prouder and prouder each day, whereas Rose looked worried. The teachers were worried, and there was panic among the students.

It was mid February. Rose was patrolling the third floor in middle of the night. Her partner, Ravenclaw prefect was sick. She was on her way back to Slytherin common room, when she heard a loud thud from the girls' bathroom. Scared, but curious, she stepped inside.

One tap was overflowing the waster, and half of the bathroom was wet. Myrtle, an annoying, ugly, pimple faced Hufflepuff was lying on the wet floor, looking horrifyingly frozen and white. Tom was standing beside her, looking at her with triumph expression.

"Tom…" Rose whispered.

Tom looked at her. His eyes turned wide and all the blood left his face. He was hissing in Parseltongue.

"Tom, I cannot understand Parseltongue." Rose said.

But Tom was looking behind her. She saw some sort of reflection in the water below her. When she gazed down, all she saw were big, yellow orbs.

Everything went black.

Everything was blurry and loud. Someone was calling her name, but she cannot identify the voice. She opened her eyes, slowly. The light hurt.

"Miss Hayden, can you see me." Dippet was standing above her. She tried to sit, but her body felt stiff.

"Miss Hayden…"

"Yes." It was difficult to speak.

The nurse handled her some liquid, which she drank quickly. Everything came rushing back. Myrtle…Tom…Yellow orbs…

Tom was so dead.

"Miss Hayden. I want to ask you a few questions. Did you saw who attack you?" Dippet asked.

"Huh?"

"Mr. Riddle caught Hagrid, a Gryffindor third year. HE was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. Did you saw anyone when you were petrified?" Dippet asked her.

Behind Dippet, Tom was standing, looking anxious. He was pleading her with his eyes to say yes.

As much as Rose wanted to kill Tom, she didn't want him in Azkaban.

"I remember seeing a large shadow of a man, larger than average. I didn't recognise him. Everything was confusing."

"It was that boy. No one in castle is as large as him." Slughorn said.

"Yes. Yes indeed." Dippet said, and stood up. "Get well soon, Miss Hayden. We don't want our star student get bad grades now, do we?"

The nurse handled her three more potions, all horrible in taste. She was glaring at Tom, who was standing there, looking guilty.

"She is ready to go, Mr. Riddle. Take her to your common room."

Instead of going back to dungeons, both went to room of requirement. After locking the door from inside, she took out her wand and started hexing Tom with every hex she know.

"Wha- Rose stop." He took her wand out of her hand.

Without missing a beat, she punched him on nose, earning a groan from him.

"Will you stop!"

"You idiot. I told you not to open the chamber, but nooo. You just won't listen to me. What were you thinking? I got petrified. I was just this far away from death." She brought her thumb and forefinger together. "What if I died, what if-"

"I am sorry, okay. I didn't know it was your night of patrolling, otherwise I would have never-"

"Sorry! You scumbag. How dare you to say sorry, you idiot, fool, you-you-ugh! I don't even know many swear words." She was red in face, and was breathing loudly.

Tom couldn't help it. He laughed, loudly. Even Rose couldn't control herself, she also started laughing. After five minutes, both calmed down a bit.

"How did you put all blame on that Gryffindor?"

Apparently, that Hagrid was a half giant, and was keeping an live acromantula hidden in the dungeon. It was easy pinning everything on him, and Dippet, being the fool he was, believed each and every rubbish Tom told him. He even gave them the memory when he busted that boy red-handed.

After few hours, the whole Hogwarts knew about hoe Tom, bravely caught Hagrid. Hagrid was appointed as the gamekeeper's assistant (courtesy of Dumbledore) and everyone, even the Gryffindors were bad-mouthing him. The most popular rumour going around was that Tom was deeply shocked and angry over attack over Rose, and to revenge it, caught Hagrid. The whole story fabricated Rose as some damsel in distress, Tom as some prince charming and Hagrid as some sick, sadistic villain. Hell, Tom even got five hundred points to Slytherin, awards for special services to school (which was proudly sitting in the trophy room) and award of One thousand galleons, which went in their joint account. Needless to say, Slytherin won the hose cup that year (again!).

The OWLs were easy. Tom tutored Rose for all the missed lectures. There was not much to tutor, as both were already advanced in magic.

(Tom and Rose are sixteen)

That summer, Tom and Rose got their OWLs result. Both achieved outstanding in each and every subject. A small amount of gallons was taken out of the huge pile in their account, and they treated each other with new robes and new belongings.

Also, that summer, Tom found out about his biological parents through a hereditary potion. To Tom's shock, his father was a mother and his mother was a witch. Two of his family members from his mother's side were still alive. Tom wanted answers, and so he left for Little Hangleton, a small town where they lived. Rose wanted to tag along, but Tom said it was something he need to do alone.

At that time, Tom didn't know it was the last time he was seeing Rose.

The muggle world was in middle of Second World War. London was the main target for air-raids. That day, Rose was out of the orphanage, roaming around the streets of muggle London. She was few blocks away from the orphanage when the sirens started blowing. London was under air-raid.

Rose ran for an underground basement. In all the hustle and bustle, her wand dropped out of her pocket without her knowledge. Luckily, a shopkeeper let her in his basement. She was saved from the raid.

The next day, when she returned to orphanage, she found out one kid was killed in the air-raid. Apparently, this kid was the same bully whom she threatened to kill the last week. The muggles, as naïve they were, placed all the blame on her. Five of the older kids, the dead kid's friends, started throwing stones on her. Problem was, she didn't have her wand with her, and the little bit of wandless magic she knew was useless against such a huge mass.

The stones changed into slaps, the slaps into full-blown punch. By the time Mrs. Cope came, Rose was badly injured and in dire need of medical attention. The hospitals were already full with the air-raid's injures. The doctors were less, and the patients more. By the time her chance came, she was already dead.

Tom returned back from his trip to his family quiet satisfied. He got answers to each and every questions. He had let his relatives live, as he still had to do damage control with Rose about his stunt with Chamber of Secret. He was sure Rose won't be pleased to hear that he killed his relative. Upon reaching the orphanage, he got the biggest shock of his life.

Rose was dead.

Rose was murdered by those filthy muggles.

Tom was beyond angry. He was furious. He wanted to kill those muggles. He wanted to hear them scream.

From that day, Tom Riddle was dead, and Lord Voldemort was born. His first victims

His first victims were those five muggles responsible for Rose's death. He gave them the most painful death imaginable. The kids went missing. Not even their bodies were found out. Their deaths were concealed behind another Air-raid, just as they concealed Rose's death behind an air-raid in government's eyes.

His second victims were his relatives. Tom killed his muggle family, and placed the blame on his dear uncle.

The news of Rose's death reached Hogwarts the very first week of Hogwarts. The teachers were devastated, especially Slughorn. His favorite student ever was no more. The Slytherins united under the mutual hate for muggles. They harmed one of them, and they needed to pay. Tom was their leader. The group started practicing dark arts under the guidance of Tom. They called themselves death eaters, the most loyal ones to Lord Voldemort. And they remained loyal to him even after Hogwarts.

After Rose's death, Tom feared death. And he found out a method of immortality.

Horocruxes.

He researched Horocruxes trough his seventh year. He nicked book from restricted section, took advice from Slughorn and made all the preparations. His first Horocrux was the dairy Rose gave him, preserving it forever. He made it by killing her mudblood parents. He made them pay for abandoning her, making her cry. Needless to say, they were very sorry after he was done with them.

His second horocrux became his family heirloom, the ring.

As soon as he got out of Hogwarts, he joined Borgin and Burkes. The pay was low, but the exposures to dark artefacts were high. And his decision proved right. He got hold of the Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup.

Those two became his next horocruxes.

When Rose and Tom were searching for the chamber of secrets, they even interrogated Ravenclaw ghost. She was Helena Ravenclaw, Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter. She was the one who hid her mother's diadem in Albania. For his next horocrux, he went to Albania. And after three years of searching, he found out the Lost Diadem. It became his fifth horocrux.

When Tom got back to Britain, he gathered back his death eaters. The death eaters in his absence, had collected even more followers. Voldemort had an army of devoted men under him, all united with one aim: destroy the muggles and muggleborns.

Needless to say, Lord Voldemort became the greatest dark wizard the world had ever seen.

It is rightly said that love is the greatest power in the whole world. Love can defeat each and every evil known to exist. A little bit of tender love and care can change the whole world. Love can be as pleasant as a calm sea, who blesses everyone with its beauty and calmness. But when the same love is lost, it can turn the same calm sea into a huge tsunami, which destroys each and everything that ever came in its way. Tom was blessed with the greatest gift of love in the form of Rose, but when he lost her, all that was left in him was hate. That hate poisoned his heart, his brain, and soon the poison was able to destroy the whole world. He turned into a raging inferno without her, and burnt everything that came in his way.

**Loved it? Hated it? Let me know what you think of it. Bye!**


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